A four-and-a-half-foot-tall nail engraved with the word "bait" suddenly appeared Saturday night where a hammer art piece on the front lawn of the community center once stood.

Local officials don't know who heisted the hammer or who drove the nail into the ground, and they're trying to figure out if the same people are involved in both instances.

"There's lots of speculation, but nobody really knows," says Rhea Borja, a spokesperson for the City of Healdsburg. "Nobody knows why the nail showed up. It could be a prank, especially because it has 'bait' etched on it."

Healdsburg Community Services Director Mark Themig is also baffled by the situation. "I think there's a hidden meaning behind the nail because it does say 'bait' on it," Themig says. "I don't know if that's a draw intended to bring the humor back, or if it's intended to persuade someone to take the nail and perhaps get caught. I think there are two theories on it."

To make it even more confusing, the missing hammer is of the ball peen variety, not something you'd normally grab to pound in a nail, though it would get the job done.

Artist Doug Unkrey created the sculpture that's on loan for temporary display from the Voight Family Sculpture Foundation, and he's offering a $1,000 reward for the recovery. The hammer is valued at $15,000 and the piece was uninsured. The hammer's handle is made from a tree trunk and the head is a piece of sculpted steel.

Themig believes the best hope for recovering the hammer is by creating public awareness, and he says everyone in Healdsburg is talking about the hammer and the nail.

"Art is supposed to create conversation and discussion and I can't think of any other piece of art that has accomplished this mission than the disappearance of the hammer, and now we've got the nail," he says.

Themig hopes the hammer will be returned soon and it be displayed with the nail.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the hammer can call the Healdsburg Police at 707-431-3377.